


It Could Be Worse

by 97_Decibel_Freak



Category: Def Leppard
Genre: M/M, circa 1983, joe/sav
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-25 15:29:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2626823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/97_Decibel_Freak/pseuds/97_Decibel_Freak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The filming of Bringin On The Heartbreak's music video didn't particularly go to as what was planned...</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Could Be Worse

**Author's Note:**

> First fic I've ever completed. Go me. Inspired by an interview I watched that involved Joe, Sav, and director David Mallet; they told a story about the filming of BotH that loosely inspired this.

"I know this guy got us a lot of popularity in the states...but this?" Rick's expression was unintelligible behind the mask. "I don't think it's worth freezing me bollocks off." He shifted his weight and pulled the cloak tighter around himself. The shock of brown curls that were able to escape from the costume bounced and twirled about in unison to the swaying of the raft. 

"Y-You're one to talk about freezing," Joe gasped from the upright contraption he was hanging from. Unlike the masked and cloaked duo of Rick and Sav, Joe merely donned a sleeveless top and faux-leather trousers. 

It was all for the music video of Bringin on the Heartbreak. They had worked with director David Mallet before, and he had the tendency to incorporate tying Joe up with little clothing, or having him deal with active explosives. This had been no exception; this scene in particular involved Joe being some sort of sacrifice on board a floating ritual, with Rick and Sav steering the way as ghouls. It was peculiar, had no real relation to the song, and is expected to do well on MTV. 

Awkward video scenes can be easily dealt with, but Mallet had chosen a rather chilly night to do this scene's filming.

Rick and Sav paddled away with the oars, trying to look as ominous and eerie as possible, while Joe played the damsel...er, lad in distress. 

Sav wasn't quite sure of how long it had been since they begun; they could have finished filming for all he knew, he could barely see. He guessed that it had been around half of an hour and pulled off the mask. Rick was still blindly paddling. The crew was still on their boat, although seemed to not be filming. Joe was still... hanging. All is normal. 

Although, Joe had gotten awfully quiet. 

"How're you holding up?" Sav asked as he walked to the front of the raft to face Joe. 

After a pause, Joe recollecting his thoughts perhaps, he replied, "...had worse." His face had become livid and he had a dazed look that couldn't really be defined as being caused by exhaustion or rather something to worry about. He was no longer shaking, though, which did worry Sav.

"Can we take five?" Sav called in the direction of the crew's boat. Mallet saw him and raised both hands, making a thumbs-up gesture, which Sav assumed was a "yes". 

Sav turned his attention back to the singer, "hey, Joe..." He trailed off as Joe had been looking off in the other direction, distracted. He snapped his fingers in Joe's face until he looked back at him with a heavy-lidded smug expression on his face. "I'm gonna untie you now, alright?" The singer didn't particularly reply, but Sav understood his sign of acknowledgment and started to loosen the restraints. The bassist's hand merely tapped Joe's for a split second and he could feel how cold it had become. "Christ. Joe, why didn't you say anything?"

Joe didn't answer and Sav began loosening the other restraint, a bit faster this time. As he finished, the taller man crumpled to the ground. 

"Sod! Rick, get some help," Sav barked. Rick obliged, running to the side of the raft, mask still on, waving his arms around and yelling. 

Sav knelt down to Joe; the singer appeared to be unconscious. He shook Joe's shoulder but received no response. He felt a shock of panic rise up in his throat, like the need to scream or slap that pretty face or do something. Instead, he bit it back, placed both hands on each side of Joe's face and in the most controlled and stern voice he could manage, said, "Joe, can you hear me?" He honestly didn't expect it to work, but he saw a twitch and Joe's eyes fluttered open to reach his. Sav wetted his lips, trying to ignore how cold Joe's face felt and instead how to hold on to his last bit of composure. He could feel the ground beneath him become mobile and see Joe's freshly-dyed blond fringe catch the moving wind. 

 

"I doubt that's gonna work"

"What?" was Sav's reply as he trotted over to the curly-haired drummer. They had both taken off the cloaks and masks by now. He had been absent for the prior scene; as soon as they docked, Mallet and the crew took over. What seemed like the bassist just slipping away with a cool and controlled demeanor for reasons unknown, was really him running away and hiding so he could regain that same demeanor. This might have possibly involved him throwing up behind some wild shrubbery because he wasn't necessarily used to being in situations like this. 

Although, no one was aware of that.

Especially Rick. 

Rick definitely did not know what had just happened, he had said it himself. 

"Um... Well, they kind of just turned on Mallet's BMW and left Joe in there."

It was in that moment that Sav glanced in the direction of the running vehicle, and through the window to see Joe laying on the backseats. Alone.

Rick's mouth was open and ready to speak when Sav began walking towards the car. 

 

Joe didn't even look up when Sav entered the vehicle, although he did bend around a bit to make room for a seat. 

"How're you feeling?" As soon as Sav began speaking, Joe turned his head to face him and visibly relaxed.

"Peachy," Joe said dryly, smirking. He began to slowly sit up, grimacing several times.

"Woah-woah, what're you doing?"

Joe raised an eyebrow, a slightly insulted look on his face. "I'm just sitting up. D'you know why they put me in here?"

"Well, for starters, you passed out and were really bloody cold an-"

"What're you doing?"

Sav's hand was on Joe's face. "Scratch that, you're still bloody cold." He began taking off the pullover he had worn underneath the cloak. Mallet hadn't given him a dress code. 

Sav had the the pullover half-way off of him when he remembered that he hadn't worn anything underneath it. He brushed it off with a nonchalant, mental 'oops' and handed the garment to Joe, who seemed to have had the same confused expression as he did a few minutes ago. 

"I think this is a bit of an uneven trade, Savvy."

He didn't even consider that, given Joe's condition. "You need it more than I do right now." 

Joe pulled the top over his head and made an expression not much different to a soaked cat when he realised how short the sleeves were on him. "If you ever wanted to know why a lot of my jumpers have no sleeves, this is why."

"I would stay away from sleeveless for awhile, if I were you," Sav replied and grinned with pseudo-sweetness when Joe shot him a glare. The tension in Joe's expression didn't last very long and he broke into a natural smile that could make a lump of cement feel all tingly inside. Sav wasn't spared by the affect, and he quickly averted his eyes to anywhere but Joe.

He was starting to feel the cold of the inside of the car, and one of those shivers that begins at the lower back and travels upward with the electric-shock speed that makes the hair stand on-end shot through his body. He absently rubbed one of his arms and tried to ignore the solicitous look on his friend's face. 

"I'm fine," Sav said after a prolonged silence. 

Bluntly, Joe replied, "You'll end up worse than me like that, sweet'art."

The candid context of the statement wasn't what felt like a slap to the back of Sav's head, rather it was the term of endearment instead. He could feel a wave of blood rush to his face that he hoped wasn't visible in the dimness of the car. Joe smiled like it was. 

Joe rested his back against the opposite end of the backseats and opened his arms. "I think this will even out the trade."

At this rate, Sav doubted that would be necessary. He rubbed the side of his face, hoping that would hide how red he had become. With the finite, although vast, amount of words he could choose from, "I... um," was all he managed to say. 

"C'mere. I'll feel bad if you went through this trouble for me and ended up getting ill yourself." 

Everything was muffled. Like a gun was fired right next to Sav's head and all he could hear was ringing and static. He heard Joe's voice clearly though, as if it had been the only thing in focus amongst blurry background noise. Joe extended his hand toward Sav. He grabbed it, almost instinctively. It was cold, but not nearly as cold as it had been outside.

He pulled Sav onto him and they lay cramped together on top of the limited seat space. Despite the slight uncomfortableness that was expected of the position, something about it just felt good. Natural. For a moment it felt purely platonic, which he expected from a lad like Joe, but he felt a hand grace his waist and that assumption was discarded.

Sav nestled closer to Joe. Another hand found its way into the crook of Sav's neck and worked it's way up to cradle the side of his face. "You're warm." 

"Lucky for you," Sav mumbled. The hand that rested on his hip moved to his back and he could feel a finger trace itself and up and down his back, like a shiver shooting through his spine. He exhaled out what was a mixture of pleasure and a grimace. Joe smiled with what seemed like a spark of lust in his eyes and Sav realised that now was the moment to do something he had been wanting to do for a long time. 

Sav began to lean forward.

He hoped he wasn't being too forward but Joe seemed to be doing the same. There was a slight pause from Joe when the distances of their faces could only be measured in centimetres. Sav breath hitched in his throat, causing him to hesitate as well. Joe cocked an eyebrow and a smirk tugged at his lips in a taunting manner. They said, 'what are you waiting for?' Nothing. Absolutley nothing. Get on with it. 

Joe's lips were cold, but not in a particularly bad way.


End file.
